English Communication Skills Research Articles

CREATIVE METHODS IN TRANSFORMING EDUCATION USING HUMAN RESOURCES / KŪRYBINIAI METODAI PERTVARKANT ŠVIETIMĄ PASITELKUS ŽMOGIŠKUOSIUS IŠTEKLIUS

Language teaching has become more learner-centered for last three decades. Teachers with a potential of being change-agent received considerable attention of researchers. Teachers need to reconsider their traditional role in helping learners control their learning. Present study investigated viable autonomy-supportive teaching role and creative practices teachers can follow to aid their learners in becoming autonomous. Data were collected from 16 university teachers teaching English communication skills at Bachelor of Science level in public sector universities of the Punjab, Pakistan. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather teachers’ perceptions. Results revealed that teachers perceived their role vital in developing learner autonomy but they considered a meaningful change in present role with a gradual shift of learning responsibilities from teacher to learner. Moreover, 11 autonomy-supportive teaching practices were suggested to enable learners to control their learning. Study proposed teachers to be trained for their new role, and must have teaching autonomy to materialize autonomy-supportive practices.

Developing Grades 1-6 Teachers’ English Communication Skills and English Teaching Techniques Using Training and Coaching in Lop Buri Thailand

<p>The purposes of this research were (1) to develop English for communication skills for grades 1-6 teachers, 2) to develop the teachers’ English teaching skills, and (3) to increase the students’ English Achievement. The participants were 15 teachers with no degree in English from 14 small size primary schools in Lop Buri province Thailand. The 30 hour English communication and 30 hour English teaching training were provided to the teachers. School visits with Coaching approach were applied for supporting their teaching at schools as well as teaching materials the teachers needed. A questionnaire comprising both open and closed-ended questions was used to evaluate the teachers’ teaching. The interview questions and the teachers’ reflection form were conducted for collecting their perception on the project, percentage and mean were applied to analyze quantitative data whereas content analysis was conducted for qualitative data.</p><p>The findings showed that the teachers’ English for communication skills and English teaching skills were increased. The teachers’ English communication skills and their teaching skills were higher than before whereas their teaching application was at a medium level. Fifty percent of the teachers’ teaching skills were at a high level while 20% barely applied their teaching experience they received from the training and coaches. One hundred percent of the teachers agreed that the project was the most useful for them and many highlighted that they’d immensely learned teaching techniques and just realized that they could make their English class interesting for the students because they felt confident after the training. However, a few teachers had no chance to teach English because their schools had someone qualified to teach instead.</p>

Motivation to Learn English Language: A Study of Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, Sindh

The present study aims to investigate the motivational factors which are directly involved in learning English language among Bachelor of Science (B.S) first year undergraduate students of Institute of English Language and Literature, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, Sindh Pakistan. The study focuses on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors, which motivate students to learn English language. The questionnaire has been administered among students (N=70) which are based on 30 Likert scale items. Attitude Motivation Test Battery/AMTB (Gardner, 2004 English version) has been used in this regard. SPSS has been used to quantify the data. The semi-structured interview has been conducted by using purposive sampling for in-depth study from (N= 6) students. The results reveal that the students have extrinsic reasons as dominant factors for motivation to learn the target language. The dominant extrinsic factors which were investigated among the students are to get a good job and to qualify exams. The intrinsic factors such as learning English for developing self-image and communication skills in English with proficiency in their daily routine work are responsible for motivating students to learn English language.

Using chair­side practice and video recording to improve English communication skills of dental hygiene students

Using chair­side practice and video recording to improve English communication skills of dental hygiene students

A Review of Research on Flipped Classroom Approach for Teaching Communication Skills in English

Researches on flipped learning have mostly focused on generic subjects and classroom setting. Not many researchers have been carried out on Second Language Learners or in the English Second Language (ESL) setting in the higher education. Most flipped learning studies are carried out on subject matters such as Mathematics and Biology. As such the effectiveness in language learning is yet to be investigated. With large numbers of TVET trainees in lecture sessions, effective lecturing on communication learning such as public speaking, presentations skills and other verbal communication skills are some of the challenges faced by ESL lecturers. With these factors in mind, flipped learning may be the answer to this predicament. Therefore, this research aims at investigating the effectiveness of flipped leaning in communication skills among the SLL in the TVET education setting. This research introduces a flipped classroom approach to the TVET Food and Beverage trainees in their ESL classroom. It is believed with planned lesson plans; flipped learning will provide a positive enrichment and learning environment to the trainees. The Flipped Classroom is an instructional strategy that can provide educators with a way of minimizing the amount of direct-instruction in their teaching practice while maximizing one-to-one interaction as well improves the TVET trainees in Food and Beverage course in communication skills. This strategy leverages technology providing additional supporting instructional material for trainees that can be accessed through YouTube. This frees up classroom time that had previously been used for lecturing. This research has implications for instructional delivery in 21st century classrooms. Additionally, the use of Flipped Classroom approach can be added elements like assessment for learning, problembased inquiry, strategies for differentiation, and an environment for instruction that is more flexible than traditional classroom settings. There are five journal articles discussed in this research as to fill the gaps.

The Challenge of Fostering Cognitively Demanding English Communication Skills in the Japanese High School System

The Challenge of Fostering Cognitively Demanding English Communication Skills in the Japanese High School System

Issues and challenges of teaching communicative English in professional institutions: the case of northern India

ABSTRACT The present article focuses on the issues and challenges related to teaching and learning Communicative English in Engineering and other professional institutions (tier-2 and tier-3 cities) in the northern belt of India. It attempts to explore various problems faced by the teachers as well as the students. It also examines the ongoing efforts to develop English communication skills of the students. The L1, L2, and L3 scenario has been discussed in detail. Bilingualism and multilingualism are investigated further. It also offers feasible solutions for making English teaching and learning more effective. Though the article only considers the northern belt, it can be applied to other belts too, provided the socioeconomic conditions are similar.

Study on Awareness and Challenges in Using English Language among Nurses in a Multispeciality Hospital, Chennai

Background: Nurses these days face tough competition in their field. In order to sustain in the healthcare industry they have to augment their language and communication skills especially English language. Lack of improvement in their language impact the impression of hospitals. The success of an effective healthcare has been attributed to strong communication skills between the health personnel and the patients. Objective: To assess the English communication skills among the nurses in a multispecialty hospital. Materials and Methods: A study was done with a sample size of 150 among nurses to identify the level of English language among them and to further identify causes for poor compliance in using English for communication. The respondents were assessed with a questionnaire prepared after a pilot study. Results: From the study, it was revealed that there is a strong relationship among the respondents in the aspect of training programme in English and its effectiveness on them. Most of the nurses gave an opinion that the difficulties faced by them were mostly related to grammar and the biggest challenge faced by a majority of them is the fear they carry. It is found that significant majority are of the opinion that a regular class for English speaking and communication is necessary for nurses to improve their diction. Conclusion: Specific English tutoring classes is mandatory for the nurses and should also be combined with counseling sessions to overcome the fear of the language and speaking in English without inhibitions.

The Problems of Spoken English

Even though a growing number of students, including people are eager to learn English as a second language more than half of this figure fail both speaking and understanding spoken variant of the language. We teachers always instruct our learners to feel quite free while speaking the language. “If you want to swim you should swim”-says the wisdom. And we transfer this saying like “if you want to speak you should speak”. Azerbaijan Republic has excess number of English medium educational institutions and English at least as one subject at school and college levels, but majority of the students, management, Teaching and Non-teaching Faculties do not have required global quality and quantity of communicative skills in English resulting in low employment opportunities nowadays, as modern companies and firms, as well as the state establishments require fluent English. There is no proper idea with the majority of teaching faculties about what, which and how are the foundations of Spoken English. As such, in this research paper the basic foundations which the non-native and second language speakers need for acquiring excellent Spoken English has been the focal point.

Market-Oriented LSP Training in Higher Education: Towards Higher Communicative Skills

In the 21st century globalization accelerates the need for English communication skills as English is recognized as a lingua franca in the business world. A high priority of university educators involved in LSP (LSP – language for special purposes) training is to equip graduates with communicative LSP skills meeting the standards of huge and increasingly competitive job market. The study addresses the issue on how to close the current gap between prospective employers’ expectations of English communication skills level and the existing LSP level of graduates. The study aims at, first, to reveal the effect of English globalization on employability from the perspective of university students; second, to identify factors leading to reticence in speaking; and third, to provide a solution to the problem of gap between graduates’ oral skills and employers’ expectations. The study uses two questionnaires as an instrument to collect data. The obtained quantitative data is used as an input for qualitative study. The study certifies that undergraduates are fully aware of the utmost importance of English language for employment. Also, the study identifies the main social and psycholinguistic reasons hindering to develop speaking skills in the university settings. Further, the research findings have been used to develop and integrate into university training curricula an intensive 3-module program meeting the real needs of students and business community. The goal of this program is to equip students with excellent English communication skills meeting the rapidly changing job market demands. The findings of the study suggest that LSP training offered at higher school should be improved to meet job market requirements. The study enabled to assess the instruction results and provide a solution to the problem of “competency gap”. It points to where the real work of closing the gap between the need for workforce skilled in English communication and actual graduates’ skill level needs to happen.

COMMUNICATION BARRIER ENCOUNTERED BY EMPLOYEES WORKING IN HOTEL INDUSTRY

Objective: Communication in English is an important antecedent for a noteworthy work performance in hospitality industry. English has been considered the universal language, an employee into hospitality sector is expected to be more communicative in English language to service guest with no geographic bounds and coordinate immigrant employees from any part of the world. The study discusses the barriers and the importance of English communication skill among the employees into food and beverage outlets in hotel Industry. Method: A systematically structured questionnaire is used as a survey tool for the study to bring out the barriers of communication in English and effective measure to overcome the barriers. The advantages of an effective communication in enhancing the guest service and to maintain a cultured work environment is discussed. SPSS (21.0) statistics analysis software is used to analyze and interpret the data. Finding: An employee’s personal attributes education level psychological factors acts as the barriers for communication in English these factors are interrelated. Conclusion: The study conclude that regular training and practice sessions are required even more effectively to the employees to develop their communication and grow higher in their carrier.

An Analysis of Interaction Patterns in a Korean Elementary English Classroom

This study aims to investigate the interaction patterns between the teacher and students or among students themselves in a Korean elementary English classroom by analysing classroom talk and by focusing on the types of the teacher’s questions and feedback as well as the use of L1 and L2. This analysis is used to determine the influence of such interaction on the students’ communicative skills in English. A female teacher in Gyeonggi province and a 6th-grade class participated in the data collection. This study included data from video or audio recordings, interviews, field notes, self-assessments, and portfolios. The transcribed data were analysed using Tsui’s (1994) framework and Verplaetse’s (1995, 2000) coding system. The results of this analysis indicated that the interaction patterns varied between participants into three groups: teacher-initiated talk (e.g., T-S talk) vs students-initiated talk (e.g., S-T talk & S-S talk). At the beginning stage of lesson, the teacher-initiated talk made up the majority of talk in English, and facilitated the students’ involvement in classroom learning including their language use. In the S-S talk, the students were involved in interaction which occurred naturally without the teacher’s control.

An Innovative Media Platform-Supported Blended Methodology in English for Dental Purposes Program

Due to the existing extensive curricula of English for Dental Purposes (EDP) courses and absence of enough weekly hours to cover them in Iran, there is a limited insufficient exposure to English to improve students’ English communication skills to the levels necessary for their future career. Therefore, there have been needs to appraise the present teaching approaches and reform the configuration and context of EDP classes to yield highest profit for their students. The study was designed to address issues central to the perception and expectations of students in regard the use and the impact of the social medium, WhatsApp. As part of this impression, a spectrum of procedures has been depicted to employ this cross-platform messaging application.
 This research was conducted among 70 2nd year dentistry students at Kashan University of Medical Sciences, in a course called English for Dental Purposes (EDP). The descriptive research project employing a qualitative and quasi-experimental study was chosen to collect data using a valid and reliable pretest-posttest design. Two groups 35 subjects were randomly selected via simple random sampling. The control group was taught by conventional method, while the experimental group was taught through the proposed whatsApp assisted language learning approach in a blended way. A paired t-test was utilized to compare the results of each group and an independent sample t-test was utilized to compare the results in control and experimental group. The f-ratio value is 7.88138; the t-value is 2.80738. The p-value is .006512 and the result is significant at p < .01.
 Therefore, there are good reasons to think WhatsApp-based method of teaching EDP as a more effective approach than the face to face method . The Likert scale questionnaire descriptively analyzed via SPSS 16.00 version revealed experimental group had generally positive attitudes towards Apps-based teaching of academic materials. 
 This media helps students get to be more capacitated in EDP, advances the class learning of English for Dental Purposes, enhances students' knowledge more satisfactorily, motivates them to gain a positive impact and willingness in their class activities and had resulted in more continuity in study and self-confidence. So, it deserves considering the incorporation of the new application i.e. WhatsApp effectively in the curriculum of EDP pedagogies as an educational means.

Revisiting the Communicative Approach: The Tripod Construct

The Communicative Approach (CA) has been adopted in English Language-Learning contexts as the ultimate solution in English language teaching, following dissatisfaction with the structuralist approaches, grammar drills and audiolingualism (Liao, 2004; Hiep, 2007). The Communicative Approach promised rapid results in English language learning, however concerns have been voiced on a perceived decline in students’ performance in writing proficiency, following the shift in focus to communication (Lakhwe, 2016; Maalouf,2016). Thirty years after its implementation, calls were made to reevaluate the Communicative Approach based on case studies and results from ELL contexts (Bacha, 2016; Samra, 2016). Arguments provided that what may work in native contexts may not have the same impact in non-native learning contexts (Lakhwe 2016, Ghadi, Biddou and Boukanouf 2016). This case study seeks to identify the main tenets of the Communicative Approach in non-native contexts, and to recommend essential components to its application. The study is based on data collected from 198 students doing English communication skills courses and 45 participating English tutors in an English foreign language (EFL)university context, Lebanon. Findings suggest that performance remains the evidence of competence; however appropriate language performance is essentially reflective of a tripod model of CLT that incorporates correct linguistic application, appropriate sociolinguistic awareness and higher order strategic maneuverability.

English education for healthcare professionals in Japan.

SummaryIn a global environment, education for healthcare professionals should include cultivating human resources who have the necessary skills to work in an international arena. This article will review the current status of English education for dental healthcare professionals in Japan. After conducting a literature search using the keywords: English education, Japan, and dental, only a few studies were found that investigated and proposed suggestions for dental professional English education. Even so, these were still in the early stages with outcomes yet to be fully evaluated. Even though English is thought indispensable for global professionals, and that increasing chances for communication skills is necessary, little attention has been addressed to English education for dental professionals or the implementation of such education in the Japanese undergraduate dental curricula. With the current reality of field expansion in dentistry, the need for not only improved English communication skills for Japanese dentists, but also the acquisition of essential expertise, psychomotor, teambuilding, critical thinking, and creative thinking skills in English as well as Japanese, is a definite probability. In order to reach this level of knowledge, further efforts and research would be necessary for the advancement and development of dental professional English education in Japan.

BUILDING BRIDGES: AN APPROACH TO THE INTEGRATION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION IN FIRST-YEAR APPLIED SCIENCE COURSES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Vantage College at UBC offers innovative specialized first-year programs for international students that integrate core content courses with complementary language education to allow participants to hone their communication skills while meeting regular academic requirements. In the Applied Science stream of the Vantage program, each first-year engineering course is paired with a language enrichment course, and their respective instructors collaborate, tailoring their content and delivery to improve both the learning of technical material and the effective development of communication skills. This paper outlines the partnership between two physical chemistry courses and their linked language courses. Insights into the nature and logistics of this type of collaboration are presented, and the effectiveness of this training approach is evaluated in relation to the students’ mastery of technical content and improvement of English communication skills. Specific challenges and future improvements of the program are also discussed.

An Eye View of Technical Communication in English Language among Engineering Students in Southern Tamil Nadu (India): An Analysis in the Postmodern Era

Objective - The aim of the research is to cheer the Engineering Students of Southern Tamil Nadu, India to do participative learning in English and facilitate them in obtaining English communication skills for their development in Professional and Career Orientation. Methodology/Technique - The study was undertaken in India with the sample of 300 students who are in the Engineering colleges of Southern Tamil Nadu. Data had been collected through questionnaire which was later evaluated using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) and AMOS (Analysis and Moment Structure) software to validate the conceptual framework. Findings - The study has revealed the factors affecting LSRW and satisfaction of students. The major factors that are paved the way for this are Professional Purposes, Academic Developments, Personal Developments, Professional Communication Skills, Academic English and Social Communications. Novelty - This paper will fabricate and determined outline for the development of Engineering Students in Southern Tamil Nadu in the Postmodern Era and encourage them for improving their Professional Communication Skills in English Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Professional Purposes; Academic Developments; Personal Developments; Professional Communication Skills; Academic English; Social Communication; LSRW; Postmodern Era; English. JEL Classification: I21, D83.

The Effect of Chants and Short Stories on Primary Stage Pupils' Communication and Attitudes

The aim of the study is to investigate the effectiveness of using and short stories in developing the third primary graders' English communicative skills in Damietta governmental schools. In order to answer the questions of the study, the researcher adopted the quasi-experimental approach. The sample of the study consisted of (50) pupils from Dr Ahmed Zwail primary school in New Damietta city. The chants/songs and short stories were used with the study group in the second term of the academic school year (2014 – 2015). An oral communication test of six questions with (30) items was designed to be used as a pre -post test. The study indicated that there are statistically significant differences in mean scores of communicative skills test in favour of the post application. It also showed that there were statistically significant differences in mean scores of each of the communication skills in favour of the the post application. In the light of these results, the study recommended the necessity of using children chants/songs and short stories in teaching and learning. It also suggested that further researches should be conducted on the effect of songs and stories on the four skills of English language.

ROLE-PLAY AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL WITHIN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: STUDENTS� PERCEPTION

Ponte Academic JournalDec 2017, Volume 73, Issue 12 ROLE-PLAY AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL WITHIN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: STUDENTS� PERCEPTIONAuthor(s): Olga V. Sumtsova ,Tatiana Yu. Aikina, Olga M. ZubkovaJ. Ponte - Dec 2017 - Volume 73 - Issue 12 doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2017.12.24 Abstract:In the present investigation the authors consider practical implementation of role-plays in the course of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to engineering students. In particular the study aims at exploring students’ perceptions of role-plays as an effective educational tool in acquiring communicative skills in English. The authors outline the procedure for the practical use of role-plays based on relevant social issues. The paper presents a particular role-play devised and conducted in several groups of the first year engineering students. The role-play was followed by conducting a survey related to students’ perception, outcomes and self-evaluation. The authors analyze the results of the survey and present their conclusions based on the students’ feedbacks, suggesting a wide scope of possible implementations of role-plays to meet learning objectives. The role-play presented in the given research is focused on general English rather than professional topics as it was devised as a follow-up of several topics of the first year curriculum for non-linguistic departments. The survey revealed that all the students who took part in the activity managed to reach the learning objectives regardless of their English language proficiency, which gives the authors a reason tо claim that a role-play is an effective tool suitable for enhancing language skills in diverse groups of learners. Another conclusion the authors draw from the results of the conducted survey is that the usage of role-plays has its say in preparing learners for real communication and develop their interest in the language acquisition and self-reflection. Download full text:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Username Password

Some English Stress Mistakes and Solutions - A Phonetic Experimental Research on Vietnamese Students

The combination of phonological knowledge with rhythm and English stress rules is one of the solutions for English stress problems facing Vietnamese students. From the phonetic experiment, some types of stress mistakes made by Vietnamese students were discovered. The hypothesis is that the English Rhythmic patterns and English stress rules will help students to solve their stress problems. However, the English stress rules are so complicated. Therefore, based on the main rhythmic pattern, the key for stress rules has been raised to simplify the way to recognize stressed syllables. The final target is to help Vietnamese students identify English words through different ways of stress placement in order to increase their pronunciation ability as well as catching the main idea in the conversation to improve their communicative skill in English.